The Whiskey Hotline team is on a never ending mission. We scour the world for the most interesting, unique and best barrels of whiskey we can find. This can take us to Scotland, Taiwan, Washington, Tennessee, Kentucky... Wherever there’s good whiskey to be found, we’ll find the best of it and bring it to you at the best price we can.

Glenmorangie Astar 2017, the return of a whisky legend. To say we were disappointed when Glenmorangie discontinued Astar a few years ago would be an understatement. It had quickly garnered rave reviews, earned many fans and was the Whiskey Hotline’s pick for the best of the Glenmorangie range. After years of pleading, we finally got our wish, and this cask strength beauty is back at your local Binny’s. The Astar story once again starts in the Ozarks, where Dr. Bill Lumsden and the Glenmorangie team hand select the individual, slow-growth oak trees that are coopered into barrels for this golden nectar. These trees were chosen for their perfect porous structure, giving the whisky a soft, rich and round character. Unfortunately, Astar’s return will be fleeting, as only a limited number of bottles are available. If you missed it as much as we did, head to your local Binny’s soon.

Classic Glenmorangie nose full of ripe fruits with floral notes stretching over the top. Butterscotch, honey and a hint of tropical fruits follow. Creamy and full bodied on the palate with layers of honeyed fruits that the nose promised. Very long finish with some lingering tropical notes mingled with oak spice. A powerful but smooth single malt bottled at a hardly detectable 52.5% abv. Welcome back, old friend.

We’ve picked many barrels from our friends at High West over the last few years. They never disappoint and always seem to quickly evaporate from our stores. Our newest shipment just landed and another round of great hand picks are ready for you. And for the first time ever, they’ve allowed us to select Bourbon!

On the nose, classic bourbon with distinct malt flavors mingle together nicely. Hay, toffee, vanilla, orchard fruits and clove. On the taste, the malt shines bright with soft red cherries, clove, vanilla, and cinnamon. The finish is quite pleasant with malt lingering alongside cinnamon and clove. One of the more unique barrels that we’ve selected.

On the nose, the Port and French oak flavors play nicely with the bourbon. Not dominating, but certainly noticeable and a pleasant layering of flavor. On the taste, sweet bourbon notes work nicely with the rich and fruity Port flavors and drier French oak spice. The finish is long and pleasantly austere. A complex treat.

Fresh and floral on the nose with candied citrus, wintergreen and clove underneath. On the taste, wintergreen jumps forward with soft vanilla and dark sweet fruits following. The finish is long and fat with rich dark fruit and rye spice fading slowly. A gorgeous sipper.

On the nose…..love at first smell? Lovely rye and vanilla lay underneath a lush bed of soft pinot fruit. Not so much over the top as just layered and rich. A very enticing nose to say the least. On the taste pear nectar, grape, wintergreen and clove explode in a pleasing cacophony of flavor. The finish is wonderful with pear ectar and red grapes spiked with wintergreen fading slowly. Wow.

*Save up to $10 on any craft beer 6-pack with the purchase of Highland Park 12, 18, 25, 30, Valkyrie or Dark Origins 750ml. Items must be purchased together to receive discount. Instant savings applied at register. Valid with your Binny’s Card through 12/31/2017. Discount not valid with any other offers. Sale is limited to stock on hand, no rain checks. See store associate for details. Not responsible for misprints or typographical errors.

The Whiskey Hotline is here to help you stave off that Autumnal chill just a bit longer with 6 new handpicked casks of whiskey, five barrels of rye and a barrel of bourbon. As aged whiskies from the big brands have become less and less available, the micro distillers are arriving with delicious options. These barrels of Dad's Hat rye are full bodied and richly layered with rye spice and our new Traverse City bourbon is a whopping 9 years old! Never have we had a better or more flavorful selection of casks on our shelves.

On the nose, corn pudding underneath cinnamon and baked orchard fruits spiked with clove. Deceptively complex and pleasing. On the taste, sweet caramelized sugars and red fruit leap forward with slow and steady oak spice in the background. The finish is lengthy and warm with spice edging out vanilla and toffee. 9 years old and a remarkably mature bourbon from a, “craft producer”. With a splash of water, she becomes a touch spicier and rounder.

Lovely fresh cut wintergreen and citrus on the nose with wood sugars and clove. On the taste, subtle floral notes dance alongside red fruits, citrus, wintergreen and baking spice. The finish is long with cinnamon, clove and fruit sugars fading ever so slowly. A gorgeous rye for sipping neat or any other way you see fit. We can't get enough.

Invigorating wintergreen and roasted grains on the nose with browned butter and clove underneath. Dill and wintergreen jump on the taste with a pleasant dryness that transitions to some soft fruits and subtle herbaceous flavors. The finish is pleasantly long with clove and dill falling off slowly alongside herbs and red fruit. Solid and dynamic.

A lovely bourbon-esque nose for WhistlePig. Don’t be scared off though, this baby still packs a big rye punch. Wintergreen and citrus mingle with vanilla, toffee, and toasted oak. On the taste, buckets of vanilla, toffee, red fruits , wintergreen and clove. A wonderful finish that starts off spicy and turns sweeter towards the end. A rye to regale good company with.

On the nose, cooked grain, charred oak, wintergreen and tropical fruit concentrate. Citrus and wintergreen on the taste with a bit of Cosmik debris dancing alongside cinnamon and vanilla spice. Mother, Mary and Joseph, this stuff is great!

We have some excellent casks from Signatory on order from our trip to Scotland in May, which you can read about here. What we didn’t buy was more shelving so we need to clear some space before they arrive. As always, these Signatory casks are bursting with flavor and value and of course bottled at cask strength. Don’t let the age fool you, we specifically chose these 8 year whiskies as examples that the right casks in the right warehouse can produce beautiful and robust single malts at any age.

Ledaig is peated malt from the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull. Lovely peat soaked green apples and butter on the nose with dark stewed fruit and anise. Fruit and smoke on the palate with spice and butter building in intensity. Long, warm finish with peat lingering.

Decent plumes of smoke emanating from the glass here. However, soft fruit and vanilla flavors seem to be challenging the smoke for center stage. On the taste, smoke and fruit are in pretty even balance with vanilla and toffee in the background. The finish is quite long and sweet with a slow burn from the peat embers.

Dark stewed plums and figs on the nose with soft vanilla and butter. A rather complex bouquet of flavors. The flavor has a floral quality with roasted prunes and cinnamon spice. Long finish with vanilla and spice falling off slowly. With water, this malt really opens up with fruits moving forward and the floral elements intensifying. Lovely and complex with dense flavors.

Craigellachie is an important component of the Dewar’s blend. The nose on this youngster is quite dense. Concentrated bourbon flavors with rich warm spices and a faint touch of smoke. Soft green apple skin in the background with some peppercorn as well. The mouthfeel is great, with those dense flavors coating and lingering. The finish is quite long with toffee and vanilla fading slowly. Beautiful malt proving age is just a number.

This coastal Highland distillery is the backbone of the Johnnie Walker Gold Label blend. Soft vanilla bacon smoke with stewed citrus fruit, primarily pineapple. On the taste, a touch medicinal with soft anise and robust cooked citrus. Soft fruit and spice hang around for a while on the finish. A real stunner. With water, the fruits get a touch fuller and brighter in this malt.

Another sizeable piece of the Johnnie Walker blends, Blue Label in particular, contributing sweetness and floral notes. This barrel is from the same run that we selected in 2015. On the nose, vanilla flavored cake icing, soft spice, toffee and oak. On the taste, this malt turns a touch darker in nature with floral notes and dark red fruits mingling alongside the softer notes found on the nose. Rich, warm honey and toffee with fruit. Long finish of spice and fruit with a beautiful floral quality. With water, the floral notes become even more dominant.

This Mortlach is bursting with confectionery vanilla and butter notes on the nose. On the taste, some orchard fruit skin shows up with soft spice. Big finish with a noticeable red apple skin flavor coming through with baking spices. With water, the malt really fattens up, and the flavors intensify.

Big bold vanilla, toffee, and barley on the nose with warm spice. Nice round mouthfeel with noticeable bourbon barrel aging highlighting butter, toffee, vanilla, and brown sugar notes. Soft fruit and anise show up late on the finish. With water, this baby really sings. Fruit and anise become more noticeable on the nose and the finish actually lengthens. Gorgeous whisky from one of our favorite distilleries.

These hot new releases just arrived, some in limited quantities. If you don't see it at your favorite Binny's, you know who to ask.

Hochstadter's Slow & Low 100 proof Rock & Rye Made With Straight Rye Whiskey We at the Whiskey Hotline love a classic cocktail, and we love it even more when we don’t have to make it ourselves. Enter Hochstadter’s and their fabulous Rock and Rye. The rock and rye is the grandfather of the old fashioned; rye whiskey with some sweetener, citrus and bitters. In this case raw honey, dried orange peel, bitters and a bit of rock candy. You can get Slow & Low everyday at a very respectable 84 proof, but this 100 proof delight only comes around once a year and is made with 6 year old rye. Grab it while you can, at 100 proof the flavor lasts a lot longer than our stock will.

Knockmore Irish Whiskey A welcome newcomer to the ever expanding selection of Irish whiskey, Knockmore is pleasant and approachable without being a bore. On the nose lemon, vanilla, and cooked grain lead with subtle clove and spice in the background. On the taste, candied citrus, vanilla, and oak spice. The finish is sweet and pleasant with candied citrus and clove lingering.

Spice Note Cumin Infused Tequila On the nose, lovely flavors of cumin, spice, and agave. Taste is sweeter than expected and savory. Finish is full of cumin with a sweet side, and a tiny dose of peppery agave. A unique addition to our ever growing selection of flavors and elixirs.

Spice Note Cinnamon Infused Tequila On the nose, loads of cinnamon…but in a cinnamon toast crunch sort of way. Sweet sugary cinnamon. On the taste, soft hints of agave show up, but pepper shows up big time with sweet cinnamon. Interestingly enough, on the finish this turns more into a red hots type of cinnamon. The take away, sweet cinnamon up front, cinnamon pepper agave on the taste, and redhots candy finish with some subtle agave pepper. Looking forward to using this in some cocktails.

GRAN DOVEJO Gran Dovejo was founded in 2009 by two cousins who partnered up with NOM 1414, found a legendary distiller in Sergio Cruz, and began producing some impassioned and delicious tasting tequila. The pinas used for these tequilas come exclusively from the highlands of Jalisco. These plants tend to be fruitier and juicer than ones grown at lower elevations. This high sugar content translates into big, full, rich and tropical fruit laden tequilas. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Tequila Gran Dovejo Blanco On the nose, citrus rich agave with soft vegetal flavors in the background. On the taste, citrus and pepper with a dose of agave honey. The finish is pleasant with spice and citrus sugars lingering.

Tequila Gran Dovejo Reposado Aged for a minimum of 6 months, these reposados tend to fall more in the 12 month age range from what we can taste. On the nose, sweet highland agave has delivered a big tropical fruit bomb. Plenty of orange and lime with dried fruits and vanilla and oak spice lingering on the taste. The finish is long and fruit heavy. A well put together reposado and a welcome break from the usual whiskey rotation.

Tequila Gran Dovejo Anejo Aged between 18 and 36 months, this anejo is drinking quite mature. Cooked agave and citrus lead the way on the nose with oak and leather in the background. On the taste, clove-baked orange, vanilla candy, and vegetal cooked agave flavors. The finish is very long and spicy with cinnamon fading slowly alongside clove.

The newest member of the Old Forester Distiller’s Row series is blended from casks aged exclusively in the warmest locations in the warehouses. It’s a worthy addition to this underappreciated and well-priced lineup.

On the nose, loads of spice and citrus alongside cooked corn and oak. On the taste, red cherry and citrus flavors spring forward with doses of pepper and cinnamon. At 95 proof the alcohol is sitting in a really sweet spot, not to hot and not to soft. The finish is lengthy with cinnamon and citrus lingering. Really lovely Bourbon and a wonderful date for the movies.

One of the Whiskey Hotline staples is back. A meticulous marriage of 25 barrels, this hand selected small batch highlights dark chocolate and berries on the nose with a pleasant dose of clove. The palate is richly layered and round with cherry, toffee, tobacco, and mint. The finish lingers with a balance of sweet and spicy anise notes.

After several years of on-again off-again availability we’ve just received a nice amount of one of our favorite bourbons. Often out of stock and hard to find, this 9 year old Kentucky straight bourbon is a delight. On the nose, spicy grain notes with rye prominently placed alongside vanilla and toffee. The palate shows some soft dark fruits, wood spice, and a pleasant dose of rye. The finish lingers with clove, vanilla, and dark fruits. A wonderful sipper, and perfect with a cigar.

When Grand Mayan, makers of one of our favorite everyday Extra Anejos, offered us the chance to claim our own cask of this ultra-aged beauty we couldn’t pass it up. It’s not every day we get an opportunity to select a single cask of old tequila, after all tequila rarely gets older than 3 years or so, much less a luxurious tequila over 5 years old.

On the nose, dried citrus fruits, pepper, cooked agave, and vanilla bourbon oak spice. On the taste, gobs of juicy citrus fruits, candied orange segments and reduced citrus juice with a healthy dose of cooked agave. The mouthfeel is quite round and full. The finish is on the fruity side with a back end that centers more on pepper and agave with soft anise. One of the best extra aged Anejos we’ve tasted, and a real honor to have our name on this one. The label says 5 years old…in reality this is actually 7 years old.